


Warmth Amidst The Cold

by Kunstpause



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Bath Sex, F/M, First Time, Romance, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Water Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:28:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunstpause/pseuds/Kunstpause
Summary: Life is busy for a Herald, but Ionne Lavellan knows just what to do to get some privacy and time with her Commander.
Relationships: Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford, Female Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	Warmth Amidst The Cold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CoffeeBird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeBird/gifts).



> A giveaway fic for the absolutely lovely CoffeeBird, inspired by [a wonderful piece of art she drew here.](https://coffeebird-eccentric.tumblr.com/post/640693214359289856/so-re-upload-from-my-old-account-of-a-piece-i-did)

The air is crisp around them, and the sun reflecting on the snow is nearly blinding in its brightness. The skies are blue with not a single cloud in sight. It is cold, as it is expected for an early spring day in the Frostback Mountains. The snow will melt, eventually, but always so much later than further down the mountains. For now, it is still covering the area around Haven with a peaceful white glow. 

Here, a fair bit away from the village, where Ionne is strolling through the snow with Cullen by her side, the day feels utterly peaceful. The constant noise of training soldiers has long stopped reaching them. It is quiet, the soft crunching of the snow beneath their boots the only sound around for a good while. That is until Cullen suddenly speaks.

“I am sorry for being such poor company today,” he apologizes out of nowhere. “I’m afraid my mind is all too eager to wander out here.”

She laughs softly at his apologetic look. “You are not poor company,” she assures him. “And I know exactly what you mean. Haven has been very busy lately.”

At that, he sighs with a heavy nod. “New recruits every day. There is barely time for anything else but work and sleep.”

Ionne smiles at him encouragingly. “Then I am twice as grateful that you’ve made the time for this walk.”

“How could I not?”

Cullen’s instant and heartfelt reply sparks a warm, content feeling in her stomach, and a blush creeps up her cheeks as she quickly looks away, keeping her eyes on the path. They’ve been steadily growing closer over the past few weeks, spending more and more time together as much as their duties allowed them to. And while Cullen tends to be on the more reserved side, he seems to forget his own hesitation every now and then. Whenever they have some peace and quiet, and he truly relaxes, he speaks more from the heart, often without even noticing. 

But she does. 

Ionne notices each and every time, if only for the small bursts of happiness it sends through her when he does.

When her eyes wander back to him, he looks content. Relaxed in a way she barely ever sees him in Haven. But even with a smile and his face bathed in sunlight, Ionne still sees the dark circles under his eyes, betraying the underlying tension they all live under, and she stops in her tracks.

“You do look like you are sacrificing your sleep,” she points out tentatively, half-expecting him to deny it. But Cullen only lets out a deep sigh.

“There are only so many hours in a day, and a lot of new people who need training.”

“Can’t you delegate that?” Ionne’s eyebrows rise. “I mean, I absolutely respect your commitment, but…”

“I know, I know,” Cullen interrupts her, and from the tone in his voice, she is definitely not the first person who has brought this up with him. “I should. Sometimes it’s hard to…” 

He trails off with a non-descriptive grunt, and she nods, full of understanding.

“To do nothing and lean back for a while? Tell me about it.” It’s not like Ionne doesn’t know exactly what he wants to say. Like she hadn’t been under an immense amount of pressure since the moment she had woken up with a green and foreboding mark on her hand. But what she learned so far is that she is but one person in a much larger scheme. And in the end, so is he. 

“Cullen, you are surely not the only person qualified to oversee training.”

He lets out a soft chuckle. “I am not; I have very qualified men under me.” He shakes his head before smiling at her. “You are absolutely right. I shall endeavor to try.” Cullen breathes in deeply, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly, and she can see he has made a decision that comes hand in hand with some relief. 

“Thank you,” he says with a warm smile before they start walking again. “It is truly a marvelous day.”

“It’s perfect for a walk,” she agrees with a laugh. “And it looks like we both need it.”

“Obviously.” Cullen holds out his arm to her as they cross a more narrow passage. “Haven, at the moment, doesn’t really provide much… privacy,” he adds softly, only to turn quiet suddenly, and Ionne knows instinctively that he had spoken before fully thinking about it.

“Privacy?” she asks with a teasing note in her voice, and her grin only widens when he suddenly looks flustered.

“Well…” he starts to explain, but Ionne is already bursting with a sudden idea. Something she has considered before but pushed aside as being too forward. But the slight blush on his cheeks and the clear sign of embarrassment sparks something in her. A rash decision, certainly, but once she makes up her mind, she can do nothing but throw herself at it with all her might.

“If it’s privacy you wanted, I might know something,” she says, still with that teasing glint in her eyes as she grabs his arm and tugs on it. “Follow me!”

“Herald,” Cullen bursts out, only to immediately correct himself. “Ionne!”

Oh, how she loves it when he calls her by her name. Too many people insist on titles she doesn’t need or want, and too many others are even worse and resort to  _ mage  _ or  _ elf _ instead. But when Cullen says her name, it sounds like a promise. An assurance that he wants to talk to _ her. _ To spend time with  _ her _ and not some symbol or an asset.

“Just humor me,” she calls back over her shoulder as she moves on without hesitation, and despite his protests, he follows immediately. 

“It’s not what I meant to say,” Cullen starts to explain himself when they come to a halt in front of a set of overgrown, mossy boulders. “Wait, this is a dead-end!”

Ionne chuckles with glee as she shakes her head. The boulders are covered with ivy and moss, standing out like a sore thumb amidst the snowy landscape, and yet he does not see what is obvious to her. 

Not a single snowflake covers the green, and when she takes another step closer, she feels the warmth radiating from it. “Oh, you have lived far too long in a big city, I’m afraid,” she murmurs. “This isn’t a dead end. Come on.”

Despite his skepticism, Cullen lets himself be dragged along, and his eyes widen as she pulls aside a curtain of ivy, revealing the narrow passage behind it before she pulls him ahead and into the unknown. It’s barely wide enough for them to pass through, and once they make it, Cullen suddenly stops behind her, taking in a sharp breath.

“This is…” he trails off, eyes wandering around wide as he takes in the scenery. 

Amidst the snowy wilds of the Frostbacks, sheltered from the elements by a large rock formation, there is an oasis of green with no frost covering the soft ground. A spring sits at the center that is easily large enough to be mistaken for a small lake, coming from further inside the well-hidden cave. Above the water’s surface, steam hovers, warming the air around them to an almost comfortable temperature.

Ionne turns around with excitement in her voice. “I found it during one of my walks a few days ago. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“You found a hot spring in the middle of an icy nowhere?” Cullen shakes his head in disbelief. “I don’t think anyone knows this is even here.”

“That was kind of the point, Commander,” Ionne grins at him before her sudden burst of courage slightly falters. “But, uhm, I just realized…” she amends a lot more hesitant. “You said privacy wasn’t what you meant to say. Have I misunderstood you?”

She doesn’t think she did, but in her enthusiasm, she gave him no chance to explain himself after all. But what she suddenly lacks in confidence, Cullen seems to have gained. He gives her a piercing look as he takes one of his gloves off and carelessly lets it fall to the ground. Before she can react, he reaches for her and gently cups her face, tilting her head until her eyes are locked with his.

“No, you haven’t,” Cullen says firmly, and heat in his eyes rivals the sudden flush on her cheeks.

What follows is almost straight out of one of those books Ionne has seen the Seeker hide away so many times, thinking that no one would notice. Cullen’s eyes never leave hers as his other arm sneaks around her, pulling her close against him before he tilts her head even further. 

It’s unhurried. Like Cullen is deliberately giving her all the time in the world to put a stop to this as his eyes carefully search hers all along the way. When she doesn’t, his smile widens, and a moment later, he dips his head, and his lips brush over hers. Once, twice, tentatively, before he finally, truly kisses her, and she nearly melts against him.

This isn’t the first time they have kissed. There’ve been moments before, but all of a sudden, Ionne is acutely aware that this might just be the first time she is in his arms like this. When they could be certain there would be no interruptions from the Inquisition suddenly having a pressing need for its Herald or Commander. No, right here and now, Ionne knows, the only pressing need is the heat growing between them as his tongue finds its way into her mouth, coaxing a moan from her that he swallows instantly. Her arms wrap around his neck, and she drags him closer, fully enjoying the way he towers over her and how she has to stand on her toes to reach him.

When they draw apart to catch their breaths, there is a spark in Cullen’s eyes, and for a moment, Ionne thinks she has never seen the seasoned Commander look so youthful.

“You know, it would be a shame not to make use of the opportunity for a hot bath in the middle of nowhere, don’t you think?” she breathes out with a telling grin, and Cullen’s eyes widen slightly before he, too, smiles.

“A waste of opportunity, indeed,” he agrees, and it is all the incentive she needs to start tugging on his clothes. 

There is a time and place for the art that is solely undressing someone, devouring every new bit of exposed skin languidly and with great care. This, in the middle of the snow-capped mountains and with the promise of warmth only a few feet away, is definitely not it, and both of them don’t need words to acknowledge this as they help each other get out of their clothes as efficiently as possible.

Cullen has the presence of mind to make sure their garments land on a dry bit of stone in between the stolen kisses Ionne distracts him with. His eyes wander over her body, and his hands follow, but they do not linger. Not yet. Not when they are both trembling with an urgency that makes them hurry to shed the last of their clothes before he holds out his hand to her. Ionne takes it, and a moment later, he draws her along with him and into the hot spring.

The first few seconds, the water is almost scalding on her skin, but she doesn’t flinch. Instead, Ionne closes her eyes for a moment as she lets the heat seep into her, slowly spreading through her entire body as Cullen pulls her deeper inside the pond.

His hands wander over her skin again, and this time, they are unhurried as they slide over her shoulders and down her back, causing goosebumps to follow in their wake as they move along her spine. 

Ionne sighs deeply under the both soothing and arousing touch, and when she opens her eyes again, they are caught in blue as Cullen watches her with an intensity she had always suspected but never before seen in him. Wordlessly, he dips his head and kisses her again.

It’s a strange sensation that goes through her at the touch of his lips. Familiarity of the man she got to know over these past few weeks entwined with the hum of excitement about something new, something yet undiscovered hovering so close in front of her that all she has to do is hold out her hand and grasp it. 

And grasp she does. Her hand is on his neck, pulling him even closer, and when she opens her lips against his, the familiar warmth between them turns into molten heat. The kiss turns frantic, sending flames of desire through her entire body as she moans into his mouth. Steam makes the air around them misty, and the warmth of the hot spring is inviting, enticing her to simply let go and let herself be swept away by the moment. And so she allows herself to be guided easily as their kiss breaks, and Cullen nudges her gently before he turns her around. 

A moment later, he draws her back against his chest, and she lets her head fall back onto his shoulder when his hands start roaming all over her body as if they are trying to map out every single part of her.

“Tell me, what do you want?” Cullen murmurs as his fingers drag wet trails down between her breasts, sending a shiver through her that has nothing to do with the temperature. 

Ionne swallows, clearing her throat as she looks straight ahead, staring as if the leaves of the ivy covering the stones are terribly interesting all of a sudden. 

“I…” she starts slowly before her shoulders sink a little, “I don’t really know.” It’s a quiet confession, but it lingers in the air between them. “This is not entirely new to me,” Ionne hurries to add as she becomes aware of how she might sound. “I am just not sure if I can say what exactly I like or not.”

Cullen lets out a content hum as he holds her a bit tighter for a moment. “Then we’ll just have to find that out together,” he says with a hint of promise in his voice. “And you can always tell me to stop if you don’t want something. No questions asked.”

Ionne feels herself relax against him with a smile, and when his hands cup and gently squeeze her breasts, she leans into the touch, arching her back with a soft sigh. She presses her legs together at the spark of arousal she feels between them, and when she shifts a bit, his hard length presses against her back.

With a moan, Cullen lets his hand wander further down. Breaching the surface of the water, it disappears from her sight. His touch remains hot on her skin, though, as he boldly dips between her legs. Curious, his fingers softly drag through her slick folds, and when he brushes over her clit, Ionne reaches back to dig her hand into his hip as she shudders under his touch.

“Cullen,” she moans softly, widening her stance ever so slightly to give him better access. It’s an invitation he follows only all too gladly as he keeps teasing her with gentle touches, running his fingers along her entrance before pushing two of them inside with no resistance. They send sparks of heat through her, and Ionne lets out another moan.

“More!”

It’s somewhere between a moan and a whisper, but it seems to spur Cullen on as she feels him twitch against her before his hand is suddenly gone, and he turns her around again.

There is so much desire simmering in Cullen’s eyes that it takes Ionne’s breath away. He lets out an appreciative moan, and a moment later, his hand cups her breast, squeezing softly before he lets his lips close around the tip of it. She moans at the smallest hint of teasing teeth before his lips turn firmer and his tongue curls around her nipple. 

Cullen’s hand on her back slips lower, grabbing her ass and dragging her flush against him. Ionne feels his cock rub hard against her stomach as her arms fly up to steady herself on his shoulders. 

Cullen keeps moving them, slowly, as he switches to her other breast to bestow the same level of attention to it. Her hand runs up his neck and into his hair, burrowing itself in the soft waves of gold as he rolls her nipple around with his lips, sending shivers of desire through her whole body.

When they reach the edge of the hot spring, Cullen sinks down, sitting on a small ledge before both of his hands grab her thighs and easily hoist her up on top of him.

“Maker, I want you,” he whispers against her skin, running his lips along her collarbone before he starts to pepper kisses all over her neck.

Ionne lets her head fall back, sighing under his kisses. “You have me.” Just a few words, a simple sentence, but they contain so much more that remains unspoken. Partly because it is new and partly because it doesn’t need saying. But Cullen understands, and his touches become more insistent, firmer.

The pure need Ionne can see in his eyes only serves to further ignite her own, letting her throw off the last shreds of hesitation she might have held. His desire for her, so evident in both his words and action, makes her bold, and Ionne holds herself steady around his neck while she lets her free hand run down his chest. She breaches the surface of the water and follows the faint trail of hair down until she brushes over his cock. 

Cullen lets out a sharp gasp as she wraps her fingers around him to stroke him once. With lips parted in eager anticipation, Ionne shifts slightly, and a moment later, she guides him to her. The air around them is thick with steam and desire as she savors the sensation of feeling the tip of his cock at her entrance before she finally lets herself go and, in one fell stroke, sinks down onto him.

Cullen nearly growls as his hands grab her hips, fingers filled with tension digging into her skin. For a moment, neither of them moves as their lips hover close enough that they share the same breath. The moment stretches, and Ionne finds herself coiled up tight like a spring. Now that she has had a first taste of him, her patience for the slow pace they had going on between them is running out fast. 

The corners of her lips curl up in a smile as she, with her eyes still fixed on his, deliberately squeezes around him.

Cullen’s hands leave a trail of heat along her skin before they cup her ass, and he lifts her until he is almost all the way out of her. With a moan against her lips, he kisses her again before he slams her down, ready to swallow her cry of pleasure with his mouth. 

It’s like a dam breaking, and suddenly, the urgency between them grows into the immeasurable. Cullen’s grip on her is tight, but Ionne doesn’t mind as he fucks into her with a force that sends sparks of pleasure through her entire body, making her toes curl, and her fingers clench into his skin. The splashing noises of the water mix with their moans and gasps, and it doesn't take long until Ionne feels the heat pool in her stomach, making her grind herself against him, matching his every move.

She feels herself getting closer and closer, but she is not quite there yet when he suddenly leans back, gasping for air. Cullen looks at her like she is the most wonderful thing he has ever seen, his eyes overflowing with warmth and affection. And a hint of disbelief. As if he still can’t quite fathom that this is happening, that this is real. That  _ she _ is real. Real and  _ his _ .

“Ionne…” he sighs, his voice filled with wonder, as he pushes into her, and suddenly she feels like she is drowning on the very air she draws in with a gasp as something in her explodes and drags her under the waves of pleasure shaking through her whole body. She moans his name as she writhes helplessly in his arms, and when he thrusts into her once more, he joins her with a low groan.

The sounds of their ragged breaths is the only thing filling the air for a while, drowning out even the soft splashes of the water around them as they cling to each other, unmoving. Ionne rests her forehead against his, in no hurry to find her bearings again. 

This thing between them is still so new, yet it feels so right that she has the urge to say something. But everything that comes to mind, everything that might describe how she feels, somehow seems too grave, too heavy, and too important to simply blurt out. And maybe a little bit too intimidating as well. But Ionne refuses to let nerves get the better of her now, amidst all this perfection. Before she can find the right words, however, another thought rips a giggle from her.

Even being this close, she can see Cullen’s eyebrows go up in confusion.

“We didn’t bring any towels,” Ionne explains before he can ask, and a small laugh shakes through her once more. “That is going to be uncomfortable when we have to get back.”

Cullen snorts softly. “That seems like very poor planning from your side,” he says cheekily before his hands, warm from the water, run up her back again.

“Terribly sorry about that,” Ionne nods gravely with all the seriousness she can manage before her smile breaks through once more.

“I’d say this is definitely worth a slightly uncomfortable walk back to Haven,” Cullen murmurs before he brushes his lips over hers again, and Ionne nods. 

As she shifts, she realizes he is still hard inside her, and a grin spreads over her face as she moves just enough to coax another moan from him.

“How about we make it even more worth it?” she asks, and when his grip on her tightens wordlessly, Ionne thinks that the more heavy things she wants to say can wait a while longer. That for now, the unspoken feelings and the heat around them are more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> [Come talk to me over on tumblr ^^](https://kunstpause.tumblr.com)


End file.
